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'Bully' Armstrong faces new jail threat

Lance Armstrong ... If federal authorities decide to prosecute under the new investigation, he could go to jail. Photo: AP

The chances of Lance Armstrong facing criminal proceedings looked increasingly likely after the US Department of Justice reopened its investigation into him.

US television network ABC News reported that the investigation into Armstrong centred on possible obstruction, witness tampering and intimidation.

It comes a year after a two-year investigation into the cyclist was closed with no charges being brought against him.The evidence laid out in the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s damning 1,000-page report on Armstrong’s doping past, which prompted his recent confession, could be used in the new federal inquiry. Claims that Armstrong bullied and intimidated associates to conceal his doping, including through taking legal action, could also be considered.

The previous federal investigation, headed by Andre Birotte, the US attorney for Central California, looked at Armstrong’s then-alleged drug-taking and potential fraud. If federal authorities decide to prosecute under the new investigation, Armstrong could go to jail.

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Armstrong admitted to bullying behaviour during his confessional interview with Oprah Winfrey. He said he had apologised to some of his victims, such as Emma O’Reilly, acknowledging that ‘‘we ran over her, we bullied her’’.

Yesterday’s revelations came as Armstrong failed to meet a deadline for providing detailed evidence of his doping to Usada.He has indicated that he would be willing to give evidence under oath to a truth and reconciliation commission, which the International Cycling Union has proposed.